6.5 Creedmoor blood trails ?

[gldprimr]

I have spent most of the past few years deer hunting with a 6.5 Grendel in my CZ-527.

I’m posting the question as a couple of friends are switching back to the 308 Winchester cartridge for their deer hunting as they have found blood trails with the 6.5 Creedmoor to be poor. I am a bit surprised by this as I’ve had no issues with blood trails using my 6.5 Grendel though I will say that they are using Hornady 143 gr. ELD-X Precision Hunter ammunition in their 6.5 Creedmoor rifles while I am using Nosler 129 gr. ABLR in my 6.5 Grendel. I have found the 129 gr. ABLR to leave good blood trails with no issue following it in those cases where there was much of a death dash.

If any of you have used the 6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr. Precision Hunter have you found it to not leave a good blood trail ?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

 

[Blkram]

I have only taken one animal with the 143 gr ELD-X in my 6.5 Creedmoor; a young bull moose facing on at 20 yards. He turned and stumbled, and fell about 5 yards from where shot. As the bullet could not be found within the thoracic cavity, there was just some blood from the entrance wound in the snow. And blood trailing wasn't necessary.

While just a sample of one, where I wasn't able to find the bullet within the mess of destroyed lungs, I found that the bullet appeared to be more frangible than I liked, as it swiped some jacket off on the edge of the ribs as it entered, and did not make it to the diaphragm without encountering any heavy bone. The tissue damage of the lungs was massive, suggesting that the expansion after swiping the rib, was massive, and therefore limited penetration.

An interesting note that I have found with the Hornady Precision Hunter ammunition I have tested in a couple different cartridges, it has proven to be slower than advertised. For the 6.5 CM the velocity is advertised as 2700 fps in a 24" barrel; I am only getting 2510 fps in my 24" barrel. (It is accurate, producing 100 yard, 3-shot groups of 0.494".) The 6.5 PRC with the 143 gr ELD-X is advertised as 2960 fps in a 24" barrel, and I am getting 2837 fps in my 24" barrel. (again, accuracy is good at 100 yard, 3-shot groups of 0.762".)
Other ammo in my 6.5 CM rifle has proven to be at, or higher than advertised velocities. For example, the Federal 130 gr Terminal Ascent is advertised at 2800 fps and I am getting 2855 fps in my rifle.

The other 5 animals (red stag, fallow buck, arapawa rams and caribou) taken with the Creedmoor have been with the Federal 130 gr Terminal Ascent ammo. All one shot kills, with complete pass throughs, from 40 to 296 yards. The fallow buck travelled the furthest, and mostly when it jumped at being hit, it fell down the ravine slope and came to rest about 15 yards from where hit. Again, no blood trailing.

 

[PJGunner]

"For the 6.5 CM the velocity is advertised as 2700 fps in a 24" barrel; I am only getting 2510 fps in my 24" barrel."

That doesn't surprise me. I've run several factory cartridges over the chronograph with sometimes disappointing results.
The 175 gr. 7x57 rounf advertised at 2440 FPY only did 2210 FPS from a 23" barrel. The load cost me a deer back in 1973. I sold the rifle but for some reason kept the ammo. I built another 7x57 years later and ran the 1973 ammo along with some fresh ammo with the same weight bullet for a comparison. There was virtually no difference in velocity. I have also compared .308 Win. angainst 30-06, both loads using the 180 gr. Power Point bullet and the .308 Win. as was all of 20 FPS faster than the 30-06. Both rifles had 22" barrels.

I think this all boils down to SAAMI setting the Maximum Allowable Pressure (MAP) for a cartridge. Sometimes the factory that brings out a new round decided that the cartridge should not go over a certain pressure level and SAAMI goes along with the suggestion. Two cases that come to mind are the .280 Rem. and .35 Whelen where Remington is alleged to have specified that the MAP was to be no greater than that allowed for the 30-06. It's a well known fact both cartridges can be loaded to the same level as the .270 Win. but the SAAM specs say no. The 7x57 is drastically underloaded because SAAMI believes certain older rifles cannot take proper pressure levels. I can agree up to a point regarding the Remington rolling block single shots as many are marked 7x57 but have a different chamber while others have standard chambers. I'm kind of pn the fence when it comes to the 18983/95 Mausers. Personally, I think those made by Mauser should be OK but am a bit skeptical about those from the Oviedo arsenal in Spain. The ones date 191 may be OK but I don't know. Anything earlier is suspect.

A cartridge can be advertised to give a cdrtain velocity which is based on the SAAMI MAP level. The factoies making that ammo will gtry to get close to that velocity level but are restricted by whatever the pressure in their brass is. Loaded rounds are pulled randomly from production and tested for pressure and probably accuracy as well. if any of the test groups show a pressure higher than the MAP, the whole lot is scapped and components salvaged where possible. That slower velocity is just company CYA.
Paul B.

 

[JD338]

My wife has a Kimber M84 Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor and has shot a few deer with the 129 ABLR. The first one made it 30-40 yds with a very good blood trail. The rest were all DRT. I have a couple of buddies that have shot deer with 6.5 CM's using 120 gr Sierra GK and Hornady 143 gr ELD-X. All of them were DRT. My conclusion is if you put the bullet center mass lungs, they are DRT. YMMD

JD338

 

[gldprimr]

Thanks for your replies. My friend & his son have recovered all the game they’ve shot with the 6.5 Creedmoor so no lost game just not as much in the way of pass throughs.

I get 2600 fps with my 6.5 Grendel 129 gr. ABLR load using Shooters World Match Rifle so not giving up too much to the Creedmoor particularly as I’m hunting closer ranges in Mississippi.